Volleyball Cats Face Missouri in Sweet 16 on Thursday
The Kentucky volleyball team is in the regional semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. And the Cats’ opponent is a familiar one.
UK faces Southeastern Conference rival Missouri on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh. The Cats have faced the Tigers twice already this season. On Oct. 6 in Lexington, Kentucky swept Missouri behind 12 kills from SEC Player of the Year Brooklyn DeLeye. In the regular season finale on Nov. 27, Kentucky won 3-1, as DeLeye had 19 kills.
Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner knows that any opponent, familiar or not, will be tough at this stage in the tournament.
“I don’t know if it’s an advantage,” Skinner said. “The advantage is that you know each other really well, so there’s not going to be very many surprises. I don’t see a disadvantage other than stigma, someone’s perception. No matter who you play in the NCAA Tournament in the third round, it’s going to be a great match.”
As the NCAA Volleyball Tournament reaches the regional semifinals, Kentucky finds itself in a familiar spot. Last season, the Cats beat Arkansas twice during the regular season, only to see the Razorbacks again in the Sweet 16. In that match, it was Arkansas that claimed victory, ending Kentucky’s season in the process. Now, the 11th-ranked Cats find themselves in a very similar situation. Skinner knows that Missouri has had a lot of success this season, including last week.
“Sure, we have had success (against Missouri) but we’ve also seen how successful Missouri has been and how well they’re playing now,” Skinner said. “They’re playing as well as anybody. To go on SMU’s home court and take care of business in less than five sets tells you a lot about their abilities and capability.”
Kentucky advanced to the regional semifinals by sweeping Cleveland State in the first round, then topping Minnesota in four sets in a high-level, second-round match. Skinner believes that being in that situation in round two will be beneficial as the Cats move forward.
“Minnesota has proven that they can beat top 10 teams this year and we knew that going in,” Skinner said. “One of the cool parts of that match was we gave away set two after having a big lead and then were mentally tough at the end of set four and grinded out some tough points. We’re going to be in those situations again. Missouri is capable of beating anybody. So, the more times you have been in pressure situations, the more opportunities you have to prove yourself.”
The Cats have won 13 matches in a row and have done so in dominating fashion. Kentucky has lost just four sets during the winning streak, which started on Oct. 16. UK will look to continue that winning streak and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 2020 national championship season. To do so, Kentucky will need to beat a familiar foe on Thursday in the regional semifinals.
